Door operating mechanism



Sept. 5, 1933. I c. E. DATH 1,925,234

' noon OPERATING MECHANISM Filed llay 8. 1950 Patented Sept. 5, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Delaware Application May 8, 1930. Serial No. 450,639

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in door operating mechanisms, especially adapted for double hinged doors of. refrigerator cars.

One object of the invention is to provide a door operating mechanism adapted for use in connection with hinged doors including a manually actuated rotary operating member mounted on one of the doors and having keeper-engaging crank means at opposite ends thereof, cooperating keepers fixed to thedoor frame above and below the door and having inclined guideslots with which the offset portions of the crankmembers of the keeper-engaging means cooperate, wherein the engaging portions of the keepers and keeper-engaging means are so designed that the operating'means will be positively maintained in door locking position, thereby preventing accidental release of the operating means through creeping of the offset crank portions thereof along the keeper slots.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide in a mechanism of the character indicated in the preceding paragraph, keeper-engaging crank members, the offset crank portions of which have locking surface portions which have flat bearing engagement with the keeper guide slot wall members when the doors are closed, thereby positively holding the operating means in looking position against accidental release, creeping of the offset crank portions along the keeper slots being entirely prevented in that. in

forcing the doors open by rotation of, the operating means the flat bearing engagement can only be broken by an initial slight camming action exerting inward pressure on the doors.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and. claims hereinafter following.

In the drawing, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1.is a front, elevational view of a pair of vertically disposed hinged. doors of a refrigerator car, illustrating my improved. operating mechanism in connection therewith. Figures 2 and 3 are horizontal sectional views, both corresponding to the'line 22 of Figure 1, Figure 2 illustrating the parts indoor locking position, corresponding to the positionshown in Figure 1 and Figure 3 illustrating the operating meansin the position occupied whenthe-one door is forced partly open. 1

In said drawing, 10 designates the sidewall member of a refrigerator car, having a door open.- ing 11 therein-,which is closed by a pair of hinged door members 12 and 13. Each of thedoormemhers is provided with the usual pairs of hinges l4l4 along the vertical outer edges thereof by which the doors are-.swingingly supported. The door 12, which isl-that first closed, and thedoor l-3'ha-ve; meeting edges which are beveled, andso 6:0 inclined that the door 13 will maintain the door 12 in closed position and wedge the same shut when the door operating mechanism is actuated. The edges of thetwo doors and the cooperating edges. of the doorframe are also provided with the usual packing material. not shown.

My improved: door operating mechanism proper comprises broadly a locking 'barA; a pair of end castingsB-B; an operating handle C; guide or bearing plates DD-; and; a pair of keepers E.E.

The operating, bar A is ofv substantially rectangular cross; sectionandi has the end castings rivetedthereto; Each of the end castings'has a forked portion l5v of well known form which embraces the flat bar A. on opposite; sides and has the rivet members; ext'endingtherethrough. outwardly of the forked portion. each member B; has; a cylindrical bearing, portion. 16, which is rotatably supportedin the correspondingbracket or guidepl'atemember D. As shown in Figure 1,

the operating shaft A is vertically disposed and twobearing. members DD areemployed, the same being, arranged respectively adjacent the top-and bot.tom edge. portions of the door 13,, and secured thereto inany suitable manner. Outwardly of the bearing sections 16, each of the end castings has anoifset crank member l'lwhich cooperates.v with thecorresponding. keeper E. As most clearly illustrated in Figures 2- and 3, each crank memberl? has a flat face 18 on one side thereofand is rounded on the other side, as indicated atj19;

The two keeper members. E-E .are. of similar design, exceptas hereinafter pointedout. Each keeper is in the'form of acasting secured to the doorframe. The castings-E are provided with guide-slots-21.--2l with whichthe crankmembers 17 of the operating means-engage; Asmost c1ear- 1y illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, theguide slot of each keeper isinclined outwardly away: from the door at such an angle that when the crank members of the operating means-are rotated in one direction, that is a righthand direction as viewed in Figure 3, the door will be forced closed and when operated in a lefthand: direction, as viewed in Figure 2, the door will be, forced open. The guide. slots. are of greater widththan the greatest diameteriof thecrank members, thereby freely permitting. entry ofythe crank, members intolsaid' guide slots. Each .of-thesguide. slots. has

opposed, straight fiat wall portions 2222 with which the offset crank member of the corresponding keeper engaging casting cooperates. As shown in Figure 2, when the crank member is rotated to the door looking or closing position, the flat face 18 thereof has flat surface contact or bearing engagement with the outer wall 22 of the corresponding keeper, thereby locking the operating means in that position. As will be evident, when the operating shaft A is rotated in a contra-clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 2,

there will be a camming action between the crank member and the wall 22 exerting inward pressure on the door, before the high portion presented by the fiat face 18 of the crank member.

reaches a position radial to the vertical axis of the shaft and in a line normal to the surface of the outer wall 22 of the guide member.

The keeper castings E at the bottom of the door opening has an extended portion, indicated by 23, on which a pivoted latch finger Zelis supported, which engages the lower righthand corner of the door 12, as viewed in Figure 1, to hold the same in position when closed, a wear plate 25 preferably being employed at the lower corner of the door, with which the latch finger 24 cooperates.

The operating handle C is forked at the inner end thereof, as is common, and is pivotally connected to the operating shaft A at said' forked end, the forked portion embracing the operating member and being connected thereto by a pivot pin 26. At the outer free end, the operating lever 'C is provided with the usual hand grip by which the same may be manipulated. The operating handle C is adapted to be looked as shown in Figure l, by any suitable locking device, as indicated at 2'7, and sealed in any suitable manner customary in connection with railroad cars.

In closing the doors by my improved operating means, the door 12 is first swung to nearly the closed position or may be entirely closed and latched by the finger 24. The door 13 is then swung to partly closed position so that the crank members 17 of the operating means will enter the guide slots 2l21 of the keepers E -E, as clearly shown in Figure 3. The operating handle is then swung so as to rotate the operating shaft A in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 3, thereby swinging the crank members 17 about the vertical axis of the shaft until the same engage the outer walls 22--22 of the keepers E--E, whereupon further rotation of the shaft A and the crank members will positively cam the door 13 inwardly. This action continues until the operating offset crank portions reach the dotted line position illustrated in Figure 2. At this time, the door 13 will be completely closed and the packing means thereof placed under high compression. As the operating shaft A is turned still further, in the same direction, by the handle C, the crank members 17 will be brought to the position indicated in Figure 2 where the flat surface portions 18 thereof are brought-into true contact and bearing engagement with the outer fiat walls 2222 of the keepers EE. As will be evident, while the crank members are passing from the position shown in dotted lines to the position shown in full lines in Figure 2, there willbe a very slight outward movement of the door 13, the door being pressed outwardly by the expansion of the highly compressed'packing material. In this manner, the flat faces of the cranks 17-47 will be forcibly held in bearing engagement with the walls of the slots of the keepers, thereby locking the operating means against accidental rotation and preventing creeping of the crank members along the guide slots of the keepers. In opening the doors, the shaft A is rotated in a reverse direction to that hereinbefore described, whereby the crank portions of the operating means are rotated in a contra-clockwise direction from the position shown in Figure 2 to that shown in Figure 3. 7 As will be evident, the first action of the crank members, due to the fiat bearing engage- ,ment thereof with the outer walls of the guide slots is a slightv inward forcing of the door 13 until the high portions of the crank members pass the position indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2. Further rotation of the operating means in the same direction brings the crank portions of the keeper-engaging members into engagement with the inner inclined walls 2222 of the keepers E-E and through the camming action the door 13 is positively forced outwardly. When the keeper-engaging members have cleared the slots of the keepers, the door 13 may be readily swung open by the operator. The door 12 is then unlatched by disengaging the finger 24 and may also be swung open.

I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred manner of carrying out -my invention, but the same is merely illustrative and I contemplate all changes and modifications that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In a door operating mechanism, the combination with a member having a door opening and a swinging door; of a pair of keepers fixed to said member adjacent opposite edges of the door, said keepers having inclined guideways defined by spaced rigid side .walls; an operating shaft rotatably supported on the door; means for rotating said shaft; keeper-engaging means fixed to opposite ends of said shaft, said engaging means having offset members provided with curved faces engageable withthe side walls of said guideways to cam the door inwardly and outwardly upon rotation of said shaft inreverse directions, said offset members having inset surface portions cooperating with one of the walls of the guideway of each keeper to hold said shaft against accidental rotation in either direction whensaid operating mechanism is in door looking position.

, 2. In a door operating mechanism, the combination with a member provided with a door opening a pair of swinging doors; of a pair of keepers fixed to said member adjacent opposite edgesof the door, each of said keepers having an inclined guidewaydefined by opposed spaced fixed inner and outer parallel walls; a manually actuated rotary operating member mounted on one of saiddoors; keeper engaging. means .at opposite ends of said operating member, each keeper- 'engaging meanshaving an offset crank portion provided with a'curved surface engageable with the walls of the guideway of one of said keepers to effect opening and closing of said door when the shaft is rotated in reverse directions, said offset crank portion also having a flat bearing face inset with respect to the curved surface thereof having engagement with the outer wall of the cooperating guideway when the doors are i in closed position, therebypositively holding the operating member against rotation in either direction to thereby maintain said doors closed. 3. In adoor operating mechanism, the com- 'bination'with a member provided with a. door 11-50 opening and a swinging door for closing said opening; of a rotary operating shaft mounted on said door; a keeper fixed to said member adjacent one edge of the door, said keeper having an inclined guideway provided with a flat rigid side wall; keeper-engaging means rotated by said shaft, said keeper-engaging means having an offset crank element cooperating with said guideway to effect opening and closing movements of the door when said shaft is rotated in reverse directions, said oifset crank element having a flat inset face adapted to interlock with said flat side wall of the guideway when the door is tightly closed to hold the operating means locked against accidental rotation in either of said directions.

4. In a door operating mechanism, the combination with a member having a door opening therein and a pair of hinged doors swingable about vertical axes; of keepers fixed to said member at the top and bottom of said door opening, said keepers having inclined guideways provided with side walls; a vertically disposed operating shaft rotatably supported on one of said doors; means for rotating said shaft, said shaft having crank portions at opposite ends thereof, the offset members of the crank portions of which are engageable and cooperate with said inclined guideways of the keepers to effect opening and closing of the doors, said crank members each having the engaging surfaces thereof provided with a cam face and a flat stop face inset with respect to the cam face, said stop face lying in a plane perpendicular to the radius of said crank portion and being in locking engagement with the wall of the corresponding keeper when the doors are completely closed, said cam face at such time being swung to a position beyond the door closing position thereof, to thereby permit the slight springing out of the doors, whereby initial camming action pressing the doors inwardly is required at the beginning of the door opening operation.

CHARLES E. DATH. 

